Wenger Insists Arsenal 'Not Close' to Signing Aubameyang From Dortmund
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud may well be the key to the Gunners landing top target Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund this month, with Arsene Wenger reportedly keen to have the Gabonese striker at his disposal by the time his team is next on the pitch.
Arsenal were reported on Wednesday to have had a second bid for Aubameyang rejected by Dortmund, a figure of around €50m (£43.6m).
Giroud has been linked with Dortmund since last summer, and while it was recently rumoured that the Bundesliga club were keen to keep any deals for the Frenchman and Aubameyang separate, the latest gossip suggests a part-exchange might be what tempts them after all.
According to Bild, Dortmund want €60m (£52.2m) and Giroud from Arsenal. If the Gunners are willing to meet those demands, the deal has been tipped to happen quite quickly.
That is because Arsenal are already believed to have agreed terms with Aubameyang, with a deal worth £200,000-per-week on the table that would make him the club's highest paid player.
Despite what Bild's report claims, Wenger seems less sure a deal is imminent.
"Confident or not confident, I don't know. At the moment, we are not close to any deal with Aubameyang or anybody else," the Arsenal boss is quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror.
"You never know how close you are. These are the kind of things - at the moment, is one of possible movements but we have other things in mind as well," he added.
"We have plenty of opportunities in different positions, so the final decision is not made."
